Olivia Dunne is one of the most popular gymnasts in the college scene. Being the highest-earning female athlete in the NIL, her efforts to further her collegiate career through her social media activities might have completely revolutionized the sport. Olivia is also quite successful on the court, as she has even won an NCAA title with the LSU last year. However, one thing still haunts the gymnast.

Olivia Dunne has previously expressed her irritation with the fact that some fans don’t exactly respect her achievements in the NIL because they undermine her gymnastics abilities. “There’s people calling me just mean things, calling me a professional bench warmer,” she said in Amazon’s Money Game documentary. Thus, clearly, this has affected her a lot. However, it seems that the gymnast is about to prove all her naysayers wrong in her final season at LSU if the recent announcement is anything to go by.

On December 16th, LSU uploaded a list of the gymnasts who will be performing in the Open Mike night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, for the first time since they won the title. The unofficial meet will effectively kick off LSU’s next season with their new roster. Thus, this list might dictate how the team looks for the rest of the season.

If that’s the case, this is very optimistic news for Olivia Dunne fans, as the gymnast’s name was found in three of the four apparatus. The gymnast will be performing in bars, beams, and floors, showcasing the versatility she possesses as a gymnast. Thus, this could be a huge day for her, as the off-season meet could really help Olivia stamp her authority as one of the regulars on the team.

This could help the gymnast shed her “benchwarmer” identity and become a completely new gymnast in her last season, showcasing her improved strength, agility, and grace to the captivated audience. It would also make Olivia Dunne’s decision to stay at LSU for another year a brilliant one. Hopefully, she can manage to do so.

Olivia Dunne’s decision to stay another year at LSU was surprising to her coach

Olivia Dunne delivered quite a surprise to the college gymnastics community when she announced her decision to stay at LSU for another year. Many had thought that she would leave the team on a high after winning the NCAA title with them. However, they were mistaken. Now, it seems that her coach was quite surprised by her decision too. LSU coach Jay Clark talked about how he was not expecting her decision to stay on for another year, which is why it came in as such a shock.

“She was one that a lot of people, I think, kind of assumed was going to be done. But then she has all these opportunities, so when did she decide? That one was a bit of a surprise,” he said, speaking to the All Things Gymnastics podcast. But, apparently, Olivia did give a hint to the coach that she might stay!

In a casual exchange between the two, Clark included an offhand suggestion that she stayed for another year—a suggestion she unexpectedly found herself pondering over. “And she kind of looked at me with this sly little grin, like, you know, maybe she started to consider it because she really enjoyed last year.” Thus, in the end, Olivia decided that she wasn’t “Dunne yet” and is now all set to start her definitive final season. Hopefully, it turns out as well as everyone expects it to be.